Xylophones, Chickens and Other Oddities
by isaacswolfsbane
Summary: A collection of unrelated drabbles used for the Hogwarts Fair.
1. Dear Diary

**Dear Diary**

**September 13th 1990**

Dear Diary,

I can't believe it, I'm a witch. A witch!

Mum always said I was special, but neither of us expected this. I could have guessed because I've done some accidental magic like when I turned the swimming pool to jelly on holiday, but witched aren't real so I thought it was a joke someone had played.

I've dreamed of being a witch before, and I've dressed up as one on Halloween, but this is _real_! I am a real life witch.

This woman came to our door this afternoon with a letter. Mum answered the door and to woman told her it was about my school so she let her in and she came and started talking to me. Not Mum, me! I was so happy; the grownups never want to talk to children. But this one did.

She gave me a letter addressed to me and told me to read it. It was an acceptance letter to a school called Hogwarts. It's a school for witched and wizards and apparently I've been on the list to go there since I was born but Mum and Dad don't know anything about it.

The lady, Professor McGonagall, told me all about this school and what they teach. There's loads of stuff, and it's all new and different. Like we're going to learn how to make potions and cast charms and turn things into other things! And we get to learn how to _fly_! I've always wanted to fly.

She also told us that we could get everything we need from school for London. Mum just laughed because she'd never heard of a place called 'Diagon Alley' so she didn't believe her, but then the Professor told us that it was hidden from mugs, I think that's what she called them – non-magical people. But you go through this pub and the alley at the back opens to a new hidden place with loads of shops apparently. I can't wait to go there; Mum said she'll take me after Christmas.

I'm so excited now. This was the best birthday present ever!

I'll talk to you soon Diary,

Love Hermione Granger.

* * *

Words: 363.

Time: 13 minutes.

* * *

**AN:** This is for the Mini-golf course at Hogwarts Fair.

Obstacle 1: Write 300 words in 15 minutes.

**Also for:**

_**If You Dare;**_

_860 - Like It's Her Birthday._

**_Ring of Fire Challenge;_**

_Four of Clubs - Hermione Granger._

**_One of Every Letter Challenge._**


	2. Chickens

**Chickens**

"Padma!" Ernie called to his wife who was currently in the kitchen preparing their dinner, "Any chance you'd be able to occupy the kids?"

"I'm busy!" she called back, waving a knife which Ernie could see through the window, "Why can't you do it?"

"I'm trying to look after my chickens!"

"You and your bloody chickens," Padma muttered, just loud enough for Ernie to hear her.

Ernie sighed and headed off to his chicken coop, trying not to attract the attention of his children who were playing in the garden. He managed to get all the way to the coop and get the chicken feed out before he heard the familiar "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" of his children.

"What'cha doing, Daddy?" Caleb, the older of the two, asked.

"I'm feeding my chickens," he replied, hoping that they'd leave him alone.

"But you're _always _feeding the chickens, Daddy." Elizabeth whined, "Why don't you ever play with us?"

"I do play with you guys!" Ernie argued back on instinct, before realising he'd made a fatal error and that his children would now not leave him alone.

"I think he's in love with his chickens!" Caleb laughed, sticking his tongue out in mock disgust.

"But I thought he loved Mummy?" Elizabeth asked getting genuinely confused.

"I do love Mummy," Ernie told his daughter, "Caleb stop messing with your sister and tidy up the garden. I expect dinner will be ready soon."

The kids marched off at this, still bickering with each other, knowing that Ernie would only start shouting at them if they didn't do what he asked. Ernie turned back to face his chickens.

"I thought we'd never be alone. I love you, Chickens!" he cooed as he bent down to stoke them.

* * *

Words: 290.

* * *

**AN: **This is for mini-golf at Hogwarts Fair.

Obstacle 2: Write about someone's love of chickens.

**Also for:**

_**If You Dare;**_

_530 - True Love._


	3. Xylophone

**Xylophone**

"Hermione?" Ron called, slamming the door behind him as he entered the house, "Hermione are you home?"

"I'm in the kitchen!" Hermione called back. Ron made his way through the house to his wife, pausing only when he heard a strange noise coming from their daughter's bedroom.

"Smells great," Ron told her, bending down to sniff the pot on the stove for dramatic effect. "What is it?"

Hermione laughed. "It's soup! I picked up a new recipe when I went to visit Hannah earlier."

"How was she?" Ron asked, he knew their friend had been struggling with running the pub since she was nearly seven months pregnant.

"The same as normal. She's coping, but she's a bit run down." Hermione told him. Ron remembered when Hermione had been pregnant with Hugo, she'd been exhausted – she had insisted that she was still able to work and look after their two year old daughter.

Hermione stirred the soup once more and then went into the living room, Ron followed behind her. He took a seat on the sofa and heard the strange noise coming from upstairs again.

"What on earth is Rosie doing up there?" Ron asked, the noise getting to his head.

"Oh, I got her a xylophone!" Hermione told him pleasantly.

"Why? You know how much she loves making noise." Ron groaned as Rose's playing got louder.

* * *

Words: 227.

* * *

**AN: **This is for the mini-golf at Hogwarts Fair.

Obstacle 3: Write anything.

**Also for:**

_**If You Dare;**_

_58\. Music To My Ears._


	4. Sleep

**Sleep**

Draco couldn't sleep. It wasn't unusual, not anymore, that's just what happened to you when the Dark Lord chose you. He'd barely slept since the start of the year.

He'd blamed his failures in killing Professor Dumbledore on his lack of sleep. In all honesty they'd been poor attempts. He realised that cursing a necklace and giving it to someone else to give to him and poisoning a bottle of mead that was intended for him weren't likely to get the outcome that the Dark Lord was hoping for, but Draco had realised a long time ago that he didn't want to be a Death Eater. He wouldn't be able to kill.

The reason Draco had decided to use items to kill Dumbledore rather than doing it himself was not, as Snape had suggested, because he didn't want it to be traced back to him, but because he didn't want to see it happen. He didn't want that on his conscience.

So Draco had turned his attention to getting the vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirement working again in order to get the Death Eaters into Hogwarts. Maybe if he managed that then the Dark Lord would be less harsh with his punishment. That's what he hoped anyway.

Draco looked at his clock – 3:24am. He knew he wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep now, so he decided to get up and work on the vanishing cabinet some more. Casting a silencing charm on his feet, Draco got dressed and headed down to the Common Room being careful not to wake any of his dorm mates up. He checked for signs of life, before grabbing a couple of apples off the table and heading out into the castle.

He had just rounded the corner when Draco heard a noise. Stopping where he was, Draco extinguished his wand and then hid in the nearest broom closet, casting a charm to make the door translucent, just as Mrs. Norris rounded the corner in the direction he had been headed. She sniffed around the door her was behind for a minute, but then headed on her way. Draco sighed in relief.

Draco had barely started on his way again when he heard the tell-tale huffing and puffing of Filch from the direction Mrs. Norris had gone. He sped off; rounding two more corner before hiding in a different broom closet and repeating the spell on the door. As he waited to see when Filch was done, Draco decided that it wasn't the right night for sneaking out and vowed to return straight to the Common Room when he was certain he wouldn't be caught.

* * *

Words: 445.

* * *

**AN: **This is for mini-golf at Hogwarts Fair.

Obstacle 4: Write 350 words without dialogue.

**Also for:**

_**If You Dare;**_

_335 - It's Nobody's Business._


	5. Bird Watching

**Bird Watching**

"Draco, come here." Hermione whispered to her boyfriend.

"What now?" he asked as he reached her, "Have you seen another finch?"

Hermione signed, she knew it was a bad idea to bring Draco with her bird watching, but she didn't want to sit out in the cold all day on her own. Plus Draco had a friend that worked as a chef who had agreed to make them a picnic to bring.

"No, no Draco I think I've seen it!"

"What, really?" Draco asked his face lighting up.

"Yes! In that tree over there." Hermione told him, pointing to a large oak tree and handing him the binoculars, "Do you see it?"

"No, I…" Draco broke off, "Actually, I think I do! Near the bottom?"

"Yes!" Hermione squealed. She couldn't believe they'd actually seen a wild phoenix.

* * *

Words: 137.

Song: Mr. Pond by Chameleon Circuit. Length: 4:07.

* * *

**AN: **This is for mini-golf at Hogwarts Fair.

Obstacle 5: Write a fic in the length of a song.

**Also for:**

_**If You Dare;**_

_659 - Birds._


End file.
